Damp Ground and Pondside Plants

Pondside plants thrive in moist and damp soil conditions prone to water-logging. Plant these around the edge of your pond, anywhere in a bog garden or in a frequently flooded area. These plants are otherwise known as bog-plants and are not necessarily aquatic, however thrive in wet conditions. Try the Iris Sibirica for moist and damp soil, Slender Tufted Sedge for streams or Mimulus Guttatus for vibrant perennial groundcover ideal for rock gardens.

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  • Premium Fern Collection Pond Plants
    £45
    £45

    Premium Fern Collection

    The perfect mix of stylish ferns

    • An array of wonderfully-textured foliage
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Grows in all light (part shade is best)
    • Ideal for damp ground and shady borders

    1 option available

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  • Japanese Painted Fern | Athyrium niponicum metallicum Pond Plants
    £23
    £23

    Japanese Painted Fern | Athyrium niponicum metallicum

    Year-round texture and interest

    • Blue, green, maroon and silver tones
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Grows in all light (part shade is best)
    • RHS Award of Garden Merit winner

    1 option available

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  • Cuckoo Flower Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Cuckoo Flower | Cardamine pratensis

    Ferny foliage dotted with pink

    • Foliage rosettes dotted with pink blooms
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Partial shade to full shade
    • Flowers from April to June

    3 options available

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  • 3 Lady Fern | Athyrium filix femina | 9cm Pots Pond Plants
    £23
    £23

    Lady Fern | Athyrium filix femina

    An elegant deciduous fern

    • Elegant lacy fronds in vibrant green hues
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Grows in all light (prefers part shade)
    • British native fern, ideal cover for wildlife

    1 option available

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  • 3 Japanese Tassel Ferns | 9 cm Pots Pond Plants
    £23
    £23

    Japanese Tassel Ferns

    Fresh colours all year round

    • Unfurling foliage that looks like tassels!
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Grows in all light (part shade is best)
    • RHS Award of Garden Merit winner

    1 option available

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  • 3 Autumn Ferns | 9cm Pots Pond Plants
    £23
    £23

    Pondside Fern Pack

    A beautiful array of greenery

    • Arching triangular foliage
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Tolerates all light conditions
    • RHS Award of Garden Merit winner

    1 option available

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  • 3 Eared Lady Fern | Athyrium otophorum okanum | 9cm Pots Pond Plants
    £23
    £23

    Eared Lady Fern | Athyrium otophorum okanum

    Amongst the most striking ferns

    • Yellow and green leaves with purple midribs
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Grows in all light (prefers part shade)
    • Brightens any shady border!

    1 option available

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  • Colocasia Rubra Black Magic | Elephant Ear Plant Pond Plants
    From £30
    From £30

    Colocasia rubra 'Black Magic' | Elephant Ear Plant

    An enchanting pondside plant

    • Huge purple leaves redolent of elephant ears
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Thrives in full sun or partial shade
    • Suitable for growing in pots

    2 options available

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  • Astilbe White Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Astilbe White

    Plumes of snowy white

    • An explosion of white clouds!
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Loves a slightly shadier spot
    • Summer flowering in July and August

    Currently out of stock

  • Astilbe Pink Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Astilbe Pink

    Copious candy pink clusters

    • Fluffy flower spires in hot pink
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Thrives in partial shade
    • Late summer flowering in July and August

    Currently out of stock

  • Astilbe Red Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Astilbe Red

    Instantly transformative colour

    • Fluffy red flower spires
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Grows best in partial shade
    • Flowers throughout July and August

    Currently out of stock

  • Snakes Head Fritillary | Fritillaria meleagris Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Snake's Head Fritillary | Fritillaria meleagris

    Incredibly unusual patternation

    • Amazing chequered blooms
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Spring flowering from April to May
    • Spring flowering from April to May

    Currently out of stock

  • Cowslip | Primula Veris Pond Plants
    £23
    £23

    Cowslip | Primula veris

    A native, sweet-scented classic

    • Nodding umbels of cheery yellow blooms
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Grow around a sunny or partly-shaded pond
    • Flowers from April to June

    Currently out of stock

  • Dragonwort | Persicaria bistorta Pond Plants
    From £15
    From £15

    Dragonwort | Persicaria bistorta

    Instantly elevate your pond edge

    • Fluffy pink flower towers
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Grow in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from June right through to October

    Currently out of stock

  • Bee's Primula | Primula Beesiana Pond Plants
    £23
    £23

    Bee's Primula | Primula beesiana

    Best for bees and butterflies!

    • Candelabra whorls of dainty purple blooms
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Grows best in partial or dappled shade
    • Flowers from April to June

    Currently out of stock

  • Orchid Primrose | Primula Vialii Pond Plants
    £25
    £25

    Orchid Primrose | Primula vialii

    Award-winning, showy primrose

    • Two-tone burgundy and lilac blooms
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Ideal for partly shaded or sunny gardens
    • Striking lilac flowers from June to July

    Currently out of stock

  • Drumstick Primula | Primula Denticulata Pond Plants
    £23
    £23

    Drumstick Primula | Primula denticulata

    Drumroll, please...

    • Award-winning violet pompoms on erect stems
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Happy in full sun or part shade
    • Pompom purple flowers from April to June

    Currently out of stock

  • Bulley's Primrose | Primula Bulleyana Pond Plants
    £23
    £23

    Bulley's Primrose | Primula bulleyana

    A jolt of cheery sunshine

    • Superb sunset blooms aloft vertical stems
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Grow in full sun or partial shade
    • Flowers from March to June

    Currently out of stock

  • Wild Primrose | Primula Vulgaris Pond Plants
    £23
    £23

    Wild Primrose | Primula vulgaris

    The original and best

    • Butter yellow blooms atop foliage rosettes
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Loves a partly shaded spot
    • Long flowering from January to May

    Currently out of stock

  • Common Polypody | Polypodium vulgare
    From £10
    From £10

    Common Polypody | Polypodium vulgare

    The ancient forest classic

    • An iconic native woodland staple
    • Zone 1 - Pondside
    • Plant in dappled shade or sun
    • Incredibly easy to grow (and fully hardy)

    Currently out of stock

  • Star Grass | Dichromena colorata Pond Plants
    £15
    £15

    Star Grass | Dichromena colorata

    Your pond's new star!

    • Distinctive starry, white flower bracts
    • Zone 1 to 2 - Pondside to pond edges
    • Grows best in full sun
    • Flowers from July to November

    Currently out of stock

Enfield

Meet Caroline

A deep dive into sustainable gardening

Nestled amongst wildlife meadows and resident ducks, Caroline’s award winning pond plant nursery in Enfield has been making a splash since 1965, when they invented the (recycled, obvs) aquatic basket. Sixty years and multiple RHS gold medals later, they’re still surprising us with new varieties every year!

Need help picking?

What is a bog garden?

What is a bog garden?

If you don’t have a pond, but rather a perennially damp and boggy garden – or if you do have a pond but are looking to plant up the surrounding area – then you’re going to be needing very particular plants; plants that love consistently moist (even wet) soil but don’t like being submerged or planted in open water. Bog gardening, as it’s often referred to, offers an effective way to make good use of a sunken, sodden area of the garden that’s especially prone to waterlogging.

Our picks for pondside and moisture-loving plants

Our picks for pondside and moisture-loving plants

For your pondside/bog garden planting scheme, you want to choose a mixture of flowering and foliage plants, and what better place to start than with the iconic woodland classic, the cowslip (Primula veris). Other primulas, like bee’s primrose, (Primula beesiana) orchid primrose (Primula vialii) and Bulley’s primrose (Primula bulleyana) also all grow well in damp conditions. Other flowering plants to consider include the cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis) and dragonwort (Persicaria bistorta). From a foliage perspective, ferns, hostas, heucheras and acorus plants are all hardy perennials that tolerate damp to wet soil.

Care tips

Care tips

The key thing to remember is that these plants need a lot of moisture. If you’ve decided you just like the look of these plants and want them in your regular beds or borders, then you’ll need to keep a close eye that they don’t dry out, and give them a regular watering – particularly in dry summers. Full to partial sun is preferable and you should look to plant during the springtime. Bog plants like a nice, rich soil so mulching with organic matter like leafmould can be beneficial.

Happy plants make happy customers

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Ornamental Colour Collection Pond Plants
five star rating on Trustpilot

Plants arrived in great condition and very promptly. Well established - much better than the ones I got at my local garden centre.

Monica Spence

| 24 May
Star Jasmine | Trachelospermum jasminoides Climbing Plants
five star rating on Trustpilot

Yet again this company delivered good healthy plants, exactly as shown in photos, well packaged and within delivery time quoted. Recommend!

Jacqueline Burgess

| 2 Jun
five star rating on Trustpilot

I continue to be so impressed with Roots. Their customer care, knowledge of their subject: from planting hedges to pruning roses and more, has been a great support.

Judy Lane

| 23 Oct
E 'Black Hamburgh' Indoor Grape Vine Soft Fruit
five star rating on Trustpilot

The plant arrived looking vigorously healthy, which brings a smile to your face, extremely well protected in its packaging.

Martyn Hill

| 5 Jul
E 'Braeburn Hillwell' Apple Tree Fruit Trees
five star rating on Trustpilot

As a non-gardener, I found my whole experience brilliant. Great information & advice available on the website, great range of products & prices are brilliant.

John-Paul

| 22 May
five star rating on Trustpilot

Wonderful plants and great customer service... really surprised to find that the plants are better than those you would get at your local garden centre.

Gavin Wilcock

| 8 Nov

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